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FAQ

Who do I contact if I have an advising question?

How do I check if courses will transfer to the USI MBA program?

  • Please follow the instructions in the Transfer Credit Request Form to request transfer credit.
  • Up to 12 graduate credit hours can be transferred from accredited institutions to count towards your MBA degree if those courses align with the USI MBA curriculum.
  • All transfer credit must be 3 credit hours each and no more than seven years old upon completion of your program at USI to be accepted.
  • You must also have a grade of B or better for consideration, and the MBA faculty will assess the transfer courses requested for curriculum alignment.

Retention

  • Graduate students must maintain a cumulative graduate program grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 to remain in good standing and progress in the graduate program.

What technology and software do I need?

  • A reliable computer with an operating system such as Windows 7 or later, or Mac OSX.
  • If you are completing assignments from a work computer, make sure your company's security is not blocking blackboard access. Otherwise, your course materials will not work.
  • High-Speed Internet Connection: (e.g. DSL or Cable).
  • Office 365 available through MyUSI (USI login needed) & Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.
  • More information on system requirements can be found here.

When are MBA courses offered and which courses are available for registration?

How do I add or drop a course online?

  • More information on how to Add and Drop classes 
  • Online Accelerated students select .AO sections
  • Traditional students select .NO or in-class sections
  • The last day for students to drop an accelerated course is the Thursday before the course ends.
  • The last day for students in the online-only program to receive a refund for the class is the Friday of the first week of class at 4:30 pm Central Time.

What is the add/drop deadline?

How do I view information on paying tuition?

How do I change my MBA concentration, add another MBA concentration, or update my bulletin term?

  • If you wish to change your concentration from what you selected in your admission application, please complete the Change of Graduate Program Form. 
    • If you are changing from one concentration to another (e.g., General MBA to Project Management MBA), please select "replace current concentration with a different concentration."
    • Current Bulletin Term = the term you began the program
    • New Bulletin Term and Effective Term = the current term
    • Once processed, your updated concentration(s) can be viewed in DegreeWorks via the graduation cap icon in your myUSI account.

What is the goal of the concentrations?

  • The goal of each MBA concentration is to equip managers with the ability to engage effectively with specialists in a particular domain (e.g., accounting, human resources, data analytics, healthcare administration, etc.). Concentrations do not seek to make an individual a specialist in the domain itself, as there are entire master's programs dedicated to that. Students must declare a concentration if they desire one as it is not automatic. All concentration courses are online. You must declare a concentration in order for that information to appear on your transcript. If you do not declare a concentration you will be in the general MBA program.

Can I get more than one concentration?

  • Yes. MBA students may obtain more than one concentration as long as there are a minimum of two courses (i.e., six credit hours) which are unique to each concentration. All concentrations will appear on the student transcript. If you have completed the MBA program and received your degree, you may come back as a non-degree seeking student to complete the 2-3 courses needed for an additional concentration. You will not receive an additional diploma. Concentration courses are only noted on the transcript.

MBA Scholarships

How do I get a major override or request a hold be removed?

Grades

  • Once grades are official, a student can request an official transcript online (electronic transcripts are usually processed the same day, if no holds exist) or print an unofficial transcript from their myUSI (if an unofficial transcript will be accepted). An employer can verify with the Registrar's office the grading time frame and availability of grades. Faculty cannot communicate grade information via email. Inquiries regarding grades should be directed to the Registrar’s office. If an employer needs the grade for tuition reimbursement before the Registrar’s office releases final grades, they can consider accepting the student's grade from Blackboard.

Email

  • Students should only communicate to faculty with their USI-issued email address to comply with FERPA, and because our firewall sometimes blocks emails from non-USI accounts. Course evaluations are completed during each MBA course, before the last day of the course.

Classes and Textbooks

  • Use Degree Works (graduation cap icon in myUSI) to view your plan of study. This is alphabetical and courses do not need to be taken in this order.
  • All students will have to take at least 2 concentration courses in the online 8-week format.
  • Prioritize concentration courses as they are only offered once a year and most are offered only in the summer.
  • Textbooks are not included in the tuition price and can be purchased in the USI bookstore or online. 
  • To find the textbook required for a course, please visit the Campus Bookstore. Select ‘Course Materials & Textbooks,’ and then click ‘Find Course Materials.’
  • All materials used in MBA courses such as Word documents, Excel documents, videos, slides, and assignments are protected intellectual property and should not be redistributed in any manner.
  • Students with no experience in Finance courses are advised to take Accounting 601 and Economics 601 before Finance 601.

Assessments

  • All students will take an end-of-program assessment. MBA assessments are required for degree completion and are administered during each student's last term in the program.
  • The assessment includes a content assessment, which covers the MBA core curriculum, and one of four skill areas (critical thinking, analytical problem solving, written communication, or ethical decision making) developed within the MBA curriculum.
  • Assessment results are used for the AACSB accrediting process and determining the need for curricular interventions.
  • Student performance is evaluated on a collective rather than individual basis, so your score will not impact your GPA.
  • Please have a financial calculator accessible while completing this assessment.
  • Assessments will be marked 'Complete' in DegreeWorks by the end of the semester.

Graduation

Diploma and Degree Conferral

  • Degrees are conferred by the USI Registrar's Office for graduates who completed all program requirements and had the formal application and diploma form on file by October 1 for Fall or March 1 for Spring/Summer. Once final grades are posted, the Registrar’s office will conduct a final review of students’ records to ensure the degree requirements have been met. Degree conferral is posted on the transcript approximately 3 weeks following posting of final grades, and diplomas are mailed approximately 2 months following posting of final grades.

  • Please note that if you finish your program in Spring 1 or Fall 1, your degree will be conferred after the end of the full Spring or Fall semester.

Beta Gamma Sigma

  • Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) is the international business honor society for AACSB-accredited schools, which are in the top 5% of business school programs around the world. USI MBA students in the top 20% of their peers according to GPA and credit hours earned will receive an email invitation from BGS.

Who can I contact for information on career and internship services?